Hilliard plans to make USC visit

With over 30 offers, to include Clemson and USC, junior LB Justin Hilliard of Cincinnati is planning a visit Columbia this off-season. Hilliard would like to narrow his list to 15 but wants to take more visits before making the cut. He has already visited Clemson.

"I went there for the Florida State game with my dad," he said. "It was alright. The atmosphere was crazy but I didn't really get to the campus or anything like that."

Hilliard does not have any favorites but did say the Gamecocks are likely to make his top 15. He was not as confident that the Tigers would. USC has maintained contact with Hilliard and he says things are picking up in recent weeks.

"I just talked to them about two weeks ago," Hilliard said. "We're still building a relationship. They just wanted to see when a good time for me to come visit would be."

Hilliard's other visits were to Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State. "I still want to get to Alabama, Kentucky and Ole Miss," he said. "I'll probably go back to Penn State because I didn't get to see much of it when I was there."

In seven games as a junior, Hilliard totaled over 80 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions. His other offers include Texas A&M, Florida State, Alabama, Penn State, Arkansas, North Carolina, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. He did not indicate any other schools that might make his top 15.